Forever After
by Ares' Warrior Babe
Summary: Allison misses Joe, and wants nothing more than to have him back. But even she's reluctant to believe it when she's told that might be possible with the help of the Charmed Ones.


**A/N: So I'm writing another crossover. Writerchic16 and I started talking about one and this was born. It might be epic since I don't know what all is happening. Three stories going at once plus school...yikes! Fasten your seatbelts, dudes. Oh and Phoenix's nickname, Phoe, is pronounced like fee.**

Paige Matthews walked into the Halliwell Manor holding the hands of her four year old twin daughters. The little girl on her right grinned at her sister. "I bet you I find Mel before you do, Phoenix!" Her brown eyes sparkled with delight as she orbed out of the hallway.

"Hey! No fair, Parker! You know my sensing isn't as good as yours!" Phoenix quickly pulled her hand from her mother's and began to run towards the steps, but was quickly cut off as two creatures appeared, one in front of her and the other in front of Paige. Her brown eyes were wide as a hideous monster appeared in front of her. It's flesh was pulled tightly across it's body, it's skin the colour of ash. Black eyes bored into the little girl. "Momma!" She cried out as the massive creature crowded around her. Paige quickly looked away from the identical demon she was fighting with to her daughter. In a moment of distraction she was hit with a beam of light. Paige didn't feel anything from the attack, no burning or poison working through her body. She looked back to her daughter.

"Phoe!" Paige waited for her daughter to appear in the traditional orbs, but nothing happened. "Phoenix, you need to orb!" The frightened child stood still as the creature continued towards her. "Phoe! Orb!"

Bright blue and white lights filled the room and a man with dark hair appeared in front of the little girl. He quickly picked her up and orbed back out of the room. The little girl clung to him as he took her to safety. "Piper!" Paige yelled.

Her oldest sister quickly ran into the room and flicked her hands, making one of the demons explode. The remaining demon hissed and quickly shimmered out. "What the hell were those?"

"How should I know?" Paige growled. "Phoenix?" She called out. Orbs filled a corner of the room and Phoenix appeared in the arms of a man.

Paige reached her arms out to take Phoenix, but the man shifted her away from her and narrowed his eyes. "He's back," the man said.

The two sisters spun around, looking around the room, but saw nothing. "Um, where?" Piper asked. The demon suddenly appeared in front of the man and Phoenix. He quickly orbed to the other side of the room, narrowly avoiding a fire ball. Piper raised her hands and flicked her wrists, sending the demon into oblivion. The eldest Halliwell looked to the man holding her neice. "How did you know he was back when Paige didn't?"

The man set the little girl on her feet and watched with a smile as she scurried over to Paige. "She," he replied, indicating Paige. "was distracted by getting to her daughter. Trust me, if I would have been in her position, I would only be thinking about my daughter too."

Piper eyed him suspiciously. "Who are you?"

The man smirked and held out his hand to her. "Joe Dubois."

**(((((((((((((((ForeverAfter)))))))))))))))**

"Okay, girls, time for bed," Allison told her daughters as they stared at the TV in the living room.

"Mommy, can we watch one more video of daddy?" Marie asked her.

Allison turned to the clock, then back to her daughters. "Sorry babe, it's already past bedtime." Bridgette and Marie both sighed and got off the couch. "Tomorrow we'll watch more, I promise." She watched as the girls walked away, Bridgette's arm around Marie's shoulders. Allison bit her lip and looked towards the ceiling. "I miss you, Joe..." She sighed before shutting off the TV and walking back to her bedroom.

Two months.

It had been two months since Joe had died; two months she had lived without him being beside her. Everyday it took her all that she had to force herself out of bed and face the world. She knew she had to go on for her girls and for herself, but there were days when the pain was just too much and she cried for hours, keeping herself locked in her bedroom. Those days happened a lot for the first month, but now she was settling into a routine to keep her mind occupied. Besides, she knew what Joe would tell her if her were there; he'd tell her to keep going, to finish what she'd started.

Allison crawled into Joe's side of the bed, a habit that started after Joe's visit to her. She buried her face in Joe's pillow and breathed deeply, inhaling what remained of Joe's scent. Her eyes closed as she allowed herself to remember him. The sound of his voice. How his body felt against hers. The safety she felt while being in his arms. His smile. His laugh. His hugs. Allison soon fell asleep.

_"Dubois?" Piper raised an eyebrow and turned to Paige. "Why does that name sound familiar?"_

_Paige shrugged in response. "I don't know." She looked back to Joe. "Thank you for saving my daughter."_

_Joe smiled at them as Phoenix ran back to him. She motioned for him to get closer and he crouched down on the ground. Phoenix wrapped her small arms around him. "Thank you for protecting me, Joe. I hope you get to see your little girls and your wife again soon." She kissed his cheek before running back to her mother._

_His smile turned sad as he replied, "Me, too."_

Allison jolted upright, her mind confused with everything she just dreamt. "Joe...?"

**(((((((((((((((ForeverAfter)))))))))))))))**

After Joe orbed out, Paige turned to her daughter with a questioning look on her face. "What about his wife and kids?"

Phoenix looked sad as she began to talk. "Joe died two months ago in a plane crash. He was coming home from Hawaii after being away for six days. He's okay with being dead, but he hates how much pain his family is in. Joe said when he died he wanted to show his wife that everything would be okay, but she couldn't accept him being dead so he had to appear to her and explain that he wasn't coming back."

"He told you all that in those few minutes you were gone?" Piper asked.

"No," Phoe shook her head. "I asked him a while ago." Phoenix looked back to her mom. "Mommy, do you think we can tell his wife that he's okay and that he's an angel now?"

Paige pursed her lips together and shook her head. "Sorry, babe, I don't think that would be such a good idea. It might hurt her even more."

Parker and Melinda appeared in the foyer of the Manor. "Phoe, I thought you were coming with us?" Parker asked as the orbs around them dissolved.

"I was, but Joe appeared cuz there was a demon and I was too scared to orb." Melinda walked over to her cousin and grabbed her hand while Parker cocked her head to the side.

"He finally appeared?"

"Yep yep."

"What do you mean he never showed himself?" Piper asked. "I thought you talked to him before?"

"He only appeared at night, well, nights when he wasn't watching over his family. And when he was there, he was always in the shadows, so you couldn't really see him. But he was always sad. So I asked him about it one night. And he told me."

There was silence in the manor for a moment. "Next time somebody appears to you two, come and tell me please."

"But Momma, he's good. He wouldn't ever hurt us." Phoenix protested.

"That's not the point, Phoe, the point is you were talking to somebody that I didn't know. What if he had been a demon and was trying to gain your trust?" Paige retorted.

"But he isn't!" Parker yelled back. "He's a good person! Besides, we're part whitelighter, I think we'd be able to tell if someone was evil..."

Paige narrowed her eyes. "Watch who you're talking to, Parker." The young witchlighter rolled her eyes.

"Fine, next time someone tries to talk to us, we'll tell you," Phoe and Parker replied in unison. The three girls smiled at their mothers before orbing out.

Piper turned to her sister. "I think our kids will be the death of me, not demons." Paige nodded in agreement.

"What about kids being the death of you?" Phoebe asked as she walked into the Manor, catching the last bit of their conversation.

"Oh, you know, our kids with magic," Piper replied. "Where's Prue?"

"She's with Coop. Apparently she messed with one of his couples and he needs to fix them."

Paige tilted her head. "Then why did he take her with again?"

"Something about wanting to teach her what happens when she interfers with his magic."

"She's two." Phoebe shrugged. "Oh, hey, does the name 'Dubois' ring any bells with you?"

"Dubois? As in Allison Dubois?"

Piper snapped her fingers in an 'Ah-ha!' moment. "That's why I knew that name! She's the psychic who was all over the news a few years ago!"

"What about her do you need to know?" Phoebe asked.

"Well, we don't need to know anything per say, but I think our kids have her husband as a whitelighter..."

Phoebe's eyes went wide. "Joe died?" She put a hand over her heart. "Ugh, I can only imagine how much pain she's in..."

**(((((((((((((((ForeverAfter)))))))))))))))**

The three little girls appeared up in Melinda's room. Joe appeared next to them in orbs. "They don't trust me," he stated.

"They don't trust _anybody_," Melinda replied.

"Oh, well that makes me feel a lot better," he remarked dryly.

"I don't get it. You saved me, they should be happy and trust you." Phoenix began to pace, a habit she picked up from her Aunt Piper.

"That's not the point, doofus."

"Hey, don't call your sister names," Joe admonished.

Melinda and the twins grinned up at him. "Joe your 'Daddy' side is showing."

"Sorry," he apologized.

"Don't be sorry." Phoe grabbed his hand and pulled him over to Melinda's bed. "Will you tell us about your daughters?"

He smiled softly as the girls crowded around him. "Sure." His smile widened as he began speaking. "My oldest, Ariel, is in college now, way on the other side of the country. And Bridgette, she's thirteen and so creative. She's really into writing right now. Marie just turned seven a few months ago. She's so smart..."

**(((((((((((((((ForeverAfter)))))))))))))))**

Allison sat on her bed, trying to figure out what her dream meant. There was no way Joe was alive. He told her two months ago that he was dead; made it clear that he could not come back at all.

So why was she dreaming of him alive? And protecting a little girl?

She shook her head, ridding herself of the images. It was bad enough she'd been feeling Joe's presence around the house. She couldn't also trick herself into believing Joe might still be alive. Her dream about the Mexico case showed her how dangerous that could be. What she saw the night before had been an odd dream, nothing more.

While heartache made her want to lie down on the bed and sob for a few hours, Allison forced herself to go check on the two girls. Ariel had wanted to come home from Dartmouth and stay with her family for a while, but her mother had convinced her to stay in New Hampshire. All coming home would do was leave Ariel with too much free time, at a point when she _should_ be distracted.

"Girls?" Allison called softly as she entered the common area. Bridgette sat at the table doing her homework alone. "Bridge, where's Marie?"

Not looking up from her homework, Bridgette replied, "In her room, reading."

"Thanks," Allison replied. She went back into the hallway and peeked in on Marie, who was reading one of her favorite books. "Marie, honey? Do you need help?"

Just like Bridgette, Marie didn't look up either. "No thanks, Mommy."

"All right, well, let me know if you want me to read you a story," Allison offered. Since she wasn't needed at the moment, she sighed and began to make dinner. When she got to the kitchen, though, Joe's presence was so strong it made her freeze for a second.

Determined not to let Bridgette see her cry, Allison wiped away a tear. _I miss you,_ she thought. _Maybe you _are_ here right now. But it's not enough._

**(((((((((((((((ForeverAfter)))))))))))))))**

From her spot in the Dubois' hallway, Melinda could see her whitelighter watching over his family. Invisible to the two mediums, Joe sat next to Bridgette, whispering help into her ear when she was stuck on a math problem. When she looked over at Joe's wife – Allison, she remembered – the pretty, blonde woman was on the verge of tears while she cooked dinner.

Melinda sighed, feeling awful for the broken family. True, she'd never been through what they'd experienced herself, but she knew _she'd_ be crying if she had to live without her mommy or daddy.

The six-year-old ran back down the hall towards Marie's room, where her cousins were waiting. After Joe left, Parker got the idea that they should tell the youngest Dubois that her daddy was okay. Though she knew leaving the house would get her in big trouble, Melinda liked the idea too. Maybe telling Marie the good news would make her feel better. And then Marie could pass the information along to her mother, who would feel better too.

"He's in there!" Melinda said as she went into Marie's room, careful to use the quietest inside voice she had. "He's helping Bridgette with her homework."

Parker sighed with relief. "Good." She'd secretly been worrying that she wouldn't be able to follow Joe's orb trail to his house. But while Phoenix was good at moving stuff with her mind, Parker could sense easier.

"We're gonna get in so much trouble," Phoenix whispered, fear in her voice.

"No we're not," Melinda assured her. "'Cause our mommies aren't going to find out. They think we're taking naps, remember?" While she was talking, Parker had started frantically pointing to the door. "_What_?"

Annoyed, Melinda whirled around...to find Marie Dubois standing at the door, back from the bathroom. "Are you ghosts?" Marie asked bravely.

The cousins traded glances. Melinda paused, wondering how she should answer. Their parents always told them not to expose magic, so maybe they should go along with Marie's guess so they didn't have to explain _all_ about the magical world. "Uh, yeah," Melinda began, much to her cousins' surprise. "We're ghosts."

She then knocked the book Parker had been looking at out of her cousin's hand before Marie saw. Ghosts couldn't pick up stuff.

"Oh." Marie then asked hopefully, "Do you know my daddy?"

_Hah! I knew this was a good idea!_ Melinda thought, smiling. Clearly, Marie wanted to know about her father. "We do," Melinda answered.

"He's an angel now," Phoenix spoke up. "He protects us."

Marie frowned. "But you're ghosts."

Glaring at Parker, Melinda corrected, "Don't listen to her, he doesn't protect _us_. She means our cousins. He's their guardian angel."

A sad smile crossed Marie's face. "That's good."

"Make sure you tell your mommy," Melinda added. "That way maybe she won't be so sad anymore."

Marie nodded. "I will. Thanks."

"You're welcome," Parker replied, then turned to her cousins. "Can we go now?"

"Yeah. Bye, Marie," Melinda said as Parker grabbed her hand. She winced when her cousins orbed her out. Ghosts couldn't do that either.

**(((((((((((((((ForeverAfter)))))))))))))))**

Joe stayed invisible, watching as his wife went around the house locking the doors and turning off the lights. Bridgette and Marie were both in their rooms getting ready for bed. He followed Allison as she went to Ariel's old room and knocked on the door. "Bridge?"

"Come in," a muffled voice replied.

She opened the door and walked in, noting the many piles of crumpled up paper that littered the floor. "What are you doing?"

"Working on something." Bridgette didn't look up from writing as she answered.

"It's not homework is it?" Her daughter shook her head. "What is it you're writing?"

Bridgette finally looked away from her tablet. "It's just a story."

Allison moved closer and sat on the bed. "Can I see it?" Again her daughter shook her head.

"It's not finished yet. Maybe once it is you can read it." Allison nodded and kissed her daughter's temple.

"Okay. Don't stay up too much later."

"I won't."

Joe stood next to his daughter as his wife moved from the bed and left the room. Before following her, he looked at the title of Bridgette's story. _A Second In Time. _He smiled as he disappeared, moving to Marie's room.

**(((((((((((((((ForeverAfter)))))))))))))))**

Marie was already under the covers when Allison came in. "You've been awfully quiet today," Allison stated as she walked over to her youngest daughter. "Are you feeling okay?" Marie nodded.

"Mommy, what do ghosts look like?" She asked suddenly.

Joe moved closer to the pair as Allison cocked her head to the side. "Why do you want to know?"

"'Cause I think I saw ghosts today," the tiny blonde psychic replied.

Allison sat on the edge of Marie's bed. "What did they look like?"

"They looked like little girls. The one girl said that daddy's an angel now and he protects people. And then they disappeared in lights." Joe clenched his jaw as he listened to Marie retell what had transpired earlier. "Were they ghosts?"

"I'm not sure, babe. They could have been..." Allison was at a loss as to what she should tell her daughter. She had never encountered any ghosts that disappeared in lights. "But I'm sure they were right when they said daddy was an angel."

The little girl nodded. "Mommy, I miss daddy." Marie moved out from under her covers and crawled into her mother's lap.

Allison wrapped her arms tightly around her daughter. "I do too," she whispered.

Joe watched his wife and daughter for a moment longer before disappearing.

**(((((((((((((((ForeverAfter)))))))))))))))**

Allison quietly closed Marie's door thirty minutes later. She sighed as she walked into her room, wondering who appeared to her little girl. Her eyes closed as soon as she laid on her bed. Ghosts didn't disappear in lights, at least none that she's ever seen. Who was it that was speaking to her daughter?

She felt herself begin to drift asleep...

_Joe appeared in a swirl of lights in the kitchen of the Manor. He glared at Melinda, Parker and Phoenix. "You three are in big trouble." Both Paige and Piper looked between their daughters and the whitelighter._

_Phoe's eyes went wide. "Uh oh..." she whispered._

_"What did you three do?" Piper asked, looking pointedly at Parker and Melinda._

_"Nothing!" Melinda replied in a defensive tone._

_"If you didn't do anything then why is Joe fuming?" Paige questioned. The girls didn't respond. Paige turned back to Joe. "What did they do?"_

_Joe kept his eyes on the girls. "They followed me to Arizona and talked to my youngest daughter. They told her I was an angel."_

_"Well, technically you are," Piper replied._

_He glared at her. "That's not the point."_

_Paige glared at her twins. "You went and talked to his daughter after I told you now to?"_

"_You said not to talk to Allison, Mommy," Phoenix stated. Paige's glare hardened._

"_We're sorry, but they should know that he's okay. I thought angels made people feel better when someone they loved died," Melinda apologized._

_Joe sighed. "I think you just confused them even more now."_

"_I'm sorry, Joe, we just wanted to make them feel better," Phoe's lip quivered and she tried not to cry. _

_Joe looked to the floor for a moment before speaking again. "I know, but their world is different from your world. They can't just call my name and have me appear like you guys can. When someone dies, they can't say a spell and talk to them again."_

"_That's stupid. Everybody should get a chance to say goodbye," Melinda retorted_

Allison gasped as she woke up. It couldn't be. Joe couldn't still be around, could he? "You still can't figure it out, can you?" A voice to her right asked.

She quickly turned to see a woman in white robes standing by the glass doors. "Who are you?"

"Destiny," the angel replied.


End file.
